How Crowded Is First Ladies National Historic Site in May?

May runs about 1× First Ladies National Historic Site's average month, which makes it an average month here — roughly 8% of the park's yearly visitors come in May.

In a typical May the park sees about 970 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 2006 to 2025.

That makes May the 6th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the December peak (1.6×) and the January low (0.3×).

On our Best Time to Visit score May rates 61/100 ("Good") — the single best-rated month at First Ladies, balancing crowds against weather and daylight.

Typical May weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 72°F and an overnight low around 50°F, with about 4.1" of precipitation.

That average of about 61°F is a comfortable range for hiking and being outdoors all day.

Because June, July and August together draw about 35% of annual visitors, choosing May instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 14.3 hours of daylight in May to explore — between the 9.1-hour midwinter low and the 14.9-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2024 drew 12,642 recreation visits, up 13% from 11,187 in 2023.

Across the past decade overall visitation has eased about 26.7%, so May may feel a touch quieter than it once did.